BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins football team is ranked eighth in this week’s American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Poll. This is the first AFCA Poll of the 2015 season and the Blue Jays earned 684 points to claim the number eight spot. The AFCA Poll debuts early each season and this is the highest Johns Hopkins has ever been ranked in the first poll of the season. Johns Hopkins is also ranked 11th in this week’s D3football.com Poll.

The AFCA Poll, which the Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications office uses to reflect JHU’s official national ranking, is headed by defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, which earned 36 first-place votes and totaled 1,041 points to earn the top spot. Mount Union grabbed five first-place votes and 1,006 points to rank second, while Mary Hardin-Baylor earned the other first-place vote and 943 points to firmly grab the number three spot. Linfield (893 points) and Wesley (868) round out the top five.

Johns Hopkins (3-0, 2-0 Centennial Conference) is ranked in the top 20 by the AFCA for the 40th consecutive week. The number eight ranking is the highest initial ranking in school history, topping JHU’s #12 ranking in the first AFCA poll of the 2014 season.

Johns Hopkins will put its three-game season-opening, 24-game regular-season and 22-game September winning streaks on the line this Saturday when the Blue Jays welcome Muhlenberg (2-1, 1-1) to Homewood Field. The Mules are listed as receiving votes in this week’s AFCA Poll.

AFCA Division III Coaches Poll (9-21-2015)
1. Wisconsin-Whitewater (36) 2-0 (1,041 points)
2. Mount Union (OH) (5) 2-0 (1,006)
3. Mary Hardin-Baylor (1) 3-0 (943)
4. Linfield (OR) 2-0 (893)
5. Wesley (DE) 2-0 (868)
6. Wheaton (IL) 3-0 (811)
7. Wartburg (IA) 3-0 (796)
8. Johns Hopkins 3-0 (684)
9. St. John’s (MN) 3-0 (661)
10. John Carroll (OH) 2-0 (587)

- Pride and Poise -